Freelance Radio, Voice Over and Columinst
Monday, 1st February, 2016
There couldn’t be a bigger, more important story for a Radio Presenter than the death of the legend Sir Terry Wogan. I often wondered what would get me back to Blogging, and this is it. The words seemed to be burning to get out and I feel so sad. The funny thing is that to me Terry always seemed the same age, so I never actually perceived him as getting older. I loved him on TV (especially the Eurovision show), but in truth, for me his mastery was on the Radio 2 Breakfast show. I presented radio over a decade with a series of Breakfast Shows during the nineties and noughties (Hereward FM, Classic Gold with Tony Blackburn and Laura Pittson), BBC Radio Oxford, and Heart. We often had a “listen around “, before and during the time we went on air. We commented on what the other Breakfast Presenters were talking about, and discussed if that was a good subject or not (and yes sometimes even “lifted” the ideas!!!….(but of course with our own twist!) . We then flipped to Terry’s show, and of course we were dumbfounded. You could never copy that theme, because you NEVER knew where it was going! It was so natural, so unrehearsed and yet so perfect. What a legend. I have often said that he was the most rebellious presenter around…..he didn’t care if he was cool or “down with the kids”, but he was cool, and the “kids” loved him. I had the good fortune to meet him both through work events and socially. He was the same in both situations: charming, warm, witty and kind, a true gentleman. He was a devoted family man and a wonderful entertainer. No wonder we all loved him. Thanks for the memories Sir Terry Wogan.